


Fragile Dreams

by cyberdigi



Series: Butterfly Series [13]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, Gwen Bashing, Ianto Jones: Immortal, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-18
Updated: 2013-05-18
Packaged: 2017-12-12 06:36:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/808435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyberdigi/pseuds/cyberdigi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the LongLiveIanto NonAnniversy challenge <i>Restart back at Adam ... when Adam changed Jack's memory of his father and Gray, it damaged him somehow - made his worst fears a reality in his mind. The rest of season 2 and COE happens but not the way Jack remembers. When his mind finally heals its Post COE but the events transpired very differently from what he remembers- Owen did not die at the Pharm or again at the power plant, Tosh is very much alive, and Ianto is immortal (how that happens and what goes on with the rest of the events including Gwen's marriage, Steven, Gray is all up to the author). The team - as we knew it or expanded - has to help Jack reconcile his memories and what really happened.</i> submitted by teachwriteslash</p>
<p>This is the conclusion to The Butterfly Series a bit of a epilogue I suppose (for the most part and despite the fact I originally wrote this a few years ago...that was kind of an accident)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fragile Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Still not Gwen friendly.

I am waking up. Funny, I don't remember falling asleep...

Wait.

Owen, Tosh, Steven, and, oh gods, Ianto. Dead. They are all dead.

The first two because my brother sought revenge, and the second two…because of _me_.

I have to leave, everything is gone. All that is left is Gwen, and she is not, had never and would never be enough.

“His brain waves are stabilizing, looks like we were able to halt the damage before it was too late.”

An unfamiliar voice penetrates the darkness of my mind.

“Bloody tosser, of course our captain can’t have a normal injury, one _I_ can treat. No, he has to do something _different_.”

No, no, no, that can’t be right; he’s dead. Dead twice, in fact.

“Yes, of course, Owen; because you weren’t remotely busy trying to keep Gwen from doing something stupid or making sure the children were unharmed.”

No, no; he’s gone, too. I watched him die; he died in my arms. I was a coward who couldn’t tell him I loved him.

“Bugger off, Ianto.”

“He’s in a right mood, Ianto. He’s just angry that there’s a doctor more brilliant than him.”

No, not her, too. My gods, this has to be a dream or a nightmare.

“He should be waking up any moment. He might be confused, though.” The unfamiliar voice again, but it’s starting to sound more familiar. Something’s not right.

“What do you mean, confused?” At least, she _shouldn’t _be dead.__

__“Oh geez, I don’t know, there’s absolutely no way that having erratic, destructive brain waves could cause confusion; nope, none.”_ _

__“Oi, pregnant woman here; be nice, Owen.”_ _

__“Pregnancy is no excuse for stupidity or stupid questions.”_ _

__“Hmphf.” At least Gwen is behaving normally._ _

__“Shhhh..."_ _

__Suddenly there’s a hand on my face._ _

__“It’s time to wake up, sir. I have a nice cup of coffee for you.”_ _

__It's too much. I open my eyes to see Ianto leaning over me, smiling._ _

__I look over and see my team; my _whole_ team, alive and well…and a man in a bow tie._ _

__I cannot stop the tears as they start to fill my eyes._ _

__“You died,” I say as I look into Ianto’s eyes. “Most of the team is dead.”_ _

__“Shush,” Ianto says, smoothing my hair. “We’re alright, but you had a reaction to the 456’s signal. It…”_ _

__Ianto looks over to the bow tie man, who jumps in to continue._ _

__“Their signal had a unique effect on your brainwaves. It was quite a job fixing them. I am ‘da man’. Oh, wait, I wasn’t going to say that again.”_ _

__I blink at him._ _

__“Wha?” I turn back to Ianto. “You’re not dead? And the others...?”_ _

__Then turning back to the bow tie man, I ask, “Who ARE you?”_ _

__My team looks at each other before Ianto says to me, “We’re alright, Jack, and he’s...”_ _

__“I’m THE Doctor,” bow tie man, the Doctor, finishes for him._ _

__“Huh? Regenerated?” I am so confused._ _

__“Excuse me, Mr. Jones,” the Doctor says, gently moving Ianto to the side to run his sonic screwdriver over me. “My, those brainwaves really did a number on you.”_ _

__“What’s going on?” asks Gwen._ _

__“We’ll fill you in later Gwen, you’re supposed to be meeting Rhys for counseling in five minutes,” says Tosh._ _

__“I could call and cancel.”_ _

__“And Rhys said if you even _try_ and cancel again he’s done,” says Ianto._ _

__“Hummmpppphhhh.” With that, Gwen leaves._ _

__“Counseling?” I am more confused than ever, now._ _

__Ianto turns back to me. “Yes, Rhys made Gwen agree to couples counseling.”_ _

__“But Owen was killed and then undead, and Gray killed Tosh before I put him in a cryo chamber, and Owen was melted in the nuclear power plant, and the 456 virus killed you...” I’m crying now._ _

__I can see Owen and Tosh share a look over Ianto’s shoulder and Ianto pulls me close._ _

__“Oh Jack, Owen wasn’t killed and made undead, although I’m not sure how he could have been made undead. Tosh was saved before Gray shot her and she was able to make sure Owen got out in time,” says Ianto and then pauses._ _

__“Gray? You?”_ _

__“Gray is in a cryo chamber waiting for you to be ready do what whatever needs to be done, and me, well, the virus did kill me, but I’m fine now.”_ _

__“What!?” No, No, NO! Ianto does not revive from the dead; he’s not cursed like me._ _

__“Doctor, this is more than 'confused.' What happened?” Tosh sounds very concerned. My gods, what’s going on?_ _

__The Doctor has still been running his sonic screwdriver over me._ _

__“Well, this is interesting. You’ve mentioned you all experienced some missing time, correct?”_ _

__“Right,” says Owen, who sounds skeptical._ _

__“I’m beginning to suspect you all encountered a Vortex phantom. They’re beings that live in the Vortex and sometimes try to live in our world, but because the Vortex exists outside of time they can’t exist unless someone knows them. So they manipulate memories to insinuate themselves into a group.”_ _

__“Oh my God! How do we know it’s really gone?” Tosh's voice is panicked._ _

__“Oh, it’s gone, or at least not here, so it’s not interfering with your team anymore.”_ _

__“I'm sorry Doctor, while this is very interesting, what does this have to do with Jack’s current state?” Ianto asks._ _

__“Oh yes, you see, it would appear the phantom tried to more thoroughly infiltrate Jack’s memories and it left some residue that interacted with the 456 signal, causing Jack’s current state.”_ _

__“Is this temporary?” Owen seems to have reverted to doctor mode._ _

__“Should be, everything should be intact. Think of it as having a very vivid nightmare and not knowing when you wake if it was real or not.”_ _

__I am sitting now, still confused, but I feel I shouldn’t be. I look at Ianto. I don’t know what he sees but he pulls me close again and kisses my forehead. Maybe _this_ is the dream._ _

__“Doctor, do you think she could help? I think the sooner we resolve this, the better,” says Ianto._ _

__The Doctor’s face lights up. “She just might, she’s always had a soft spot for him. Go ahead and take him.”_ _

__I feel Ianto nod, and he helps me to my feet and starts to walk with me across the Hub._ _

__“How can you revive from the dead?” I probably shouldn’t ask. If this is a dream, logic could shatter it._ _

__Ianto smiles at me, his arm still around my shoulders. “A gift from a special friend of yours, but I have to say I’ve become quite fond of her as well.”_ _

__“Gift?”_ _

__“Shhh, hopefully once we get you to her, she’ll help get you sorted and you’ll know yourself.”_ _

__I look up and I see the familiar blue police box._ _

__Ianto continues, “Come on, I have your key.”_ _

__He unlocks the door and we step in. It’s different and yet familiar from what I remember. I can feel her thrumming around me._ _

___My Jack_ _ _

__The words echo in my head and I know it’s the TARDIS._ _

___Please come to me, my Jack_ _ _

__I walk to her console, the place closest to her heart._ _

___Touch me, my Jack_ _ _

__I touch the console and then I feel her filling my mind and images flash before me and I _know_ they are my memories_ _

__Meeting the Doctor’s latest regeneration._ _

__His gift._ _

__Owen and Tosh surviving._ _

__Rhys and Gwen’s relationship becoming complicated._ _

__Ianto._ _

__Ianto dying and reviving in my arms._ _

__Reviving because of the Bad Wolf._ _

___My Jack_ _ _

__I feel the Tardis whisper as she slowly retreats._ _

___All is as it should be, my Jack_ _ _

__“Thank you,” I tell her as I stroke her console._ _

___Always for my Jack_ _ _

__I smile and turn back to Ianto. “Thank you. Love you.”_ _

__Ianto smiles back. “Better?”_ _

__I nod._ _

__“Good, I love you too,” he replies, beaming._ _

__I smile again, just glad that it was all a nightmare and this isn’t a fragile dream._ _


End file.
